A simple solution to a complex problem

From dewatering an open pit to managing water levels in tailings dams, controlling water is an age-old challenge faced by mining companies.

Managing water is complex and having a reliable and durable pumping system that doesn’t just withstand but performs in the harshest conditions is crucial to maximising operational efficiency.

Shallow water management is a challenge that traditional pumping systems have been unable to effectively surpass. This is because a pump intake must be submerged at a certain depth, known as critical submergence, otherwise expensive problems arise also creating costly down time.

If the pump intake is too high, it could form a vortex which causes air bubbles to enter the pump which can lead to damage and even implosion — destroying the pump. If the intake is too low, the pump will ingest tailings and silt resulting in extensive damage, such as blown seals, dramatically reducing a pump’s lifespan.

With safety, effectiveness and sustainability in the spotlight, the mining industry needs a reliable and effective solution to manage tailings and dewatering.

Backed by decades of experience in dewatering, the team at Turret Engineering witnessed these problems first-hand and developed an innovative idea — falsifying critical submergence.

Critical Submergence can be falsified on three principals:

• Taking critical submergence depth and turning it sideways
• Virtually expanding the size of suction pipe intake with larger radial intake
• Doing all this under a vacuum

With this idea, a solution was developed — The Turret.

The Turret is a floating water intake device that solves the problem of drawing from shallow water with its radial design. By having water intake floating on the surface and water drawing slowly just below, no vortex can form and the intake is as far as possible away from harmful sediment at the bottom of the water body.

This floating water intake can be used with a wide range of pumps including skid, amphibious and submersible, making it easy to integrate into current operations without completely overhauling infrastructure.

Efficient dewatering

To effectively manage water levels in dam, miners typically encounter some major challenges.

Turret offers a variety of solutions, including pump skids, spools and accessories, to deliver enhanced pump performance in an effective dewatering solution that is cost effective.

The Turret’s performance has been proven across a diverse range of applications and is trusted by some of the biggest industry names to deliver results.

The new Turret design offers reduced friction losses compared to most conventional intake configurations — even with screens fitted.

Turret effectively operates in extreme pH conditions, like those often seen in tailings dams, and is effective in mines such as uranium and iron ore. Wide screens prevent accumulation of contents, such as weeds and minerals, making the Turret easy to maintain and clean.

Pumping viscous lithium slurry: the Turret advantage

Lithium slurry underflow tailings from processing plants are challenging to pump due to their high abrasiveness and viscosity. The slurry is thick and requires significant force to move, which can potentially cause damage to pumping systems.

Turret is designed to withstand the harsh demands of these environments and effectively handle notoriously challenging slurry like that seen at lithium operations. The robust design features and technical capabilities of Turret deliver operational benefits in tailings storage facilities (TSF) at various lithium sites worldwide.

Gutter screens for coal mines

Turret developed a solution for a client in the coal mining sector who was facing challenges with dewatering as coal fines get suspended in the top layer of tailings.

The team designed a gutter style screen system that enable the continuous flow of water and minimised coal fines suspended in suction. Following the solutions success, the client now operates three across its site and Turret continues to collaborate on a buoy/barrier system to hold back floating material in TSF and prevent or minimise from reaching the Turret intakes.

Strategic tailings management plan

As mine capacities increase and dam levels rise, effective dewatering solutions are crucial to increasing operational capacity and extending mine life.

Turret continues to operate and deliver value and solutions for clients across Australia and globally.